He said: 'I knew it was going to be hard
and I'd have to win the first four frames. If you give Ronnie a sniff of
a chance he just knocks in 50s and 60s in a matter of a couple of
minutes. It's frightening to watch.

'It'd be excellent to see a Welshman get to a final, but if Ronnie plays
anything like that, there's no one left in this competition that can
give him a good run. Robertson is the only man that can give him a good
run but he's just so far in front of everybody else that it's
frightening.'

O'Sullivan enjoyed the standing ovation he received after a thrilling
break of 128 on Sunday, saying: 'I've never had that before, apart from
my 147s.

No answer: Williams was unable to cope with O'Sullivan

'That was a special moment there and it took me by surprise. I played a
few good shots in that break and I think the crowd appreciated it. It's
nice to give people something to remember. In another 50 years they
might show some of those shots on YouTube, or when I'm dead and gone
they'll say, "Look at this player, see what he did".

'It's just one of those for the memory bank, it was a special moment, a
really good six frames. I was being quite aggressive and that's the way
you need to play.

'I think whoever wins this championship will have to beat Neil Robertson, and I've got to play him now.

'Neil's had a brilliant season, he's won the Masters. He's a big-time player and he's proved it on the big stage.'